NBA Capsules: Rockets make pitch to free agent Bosh
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey sure knows how to make a first impression.
Morey met with coveted free agent Chris Bosh in Dallas just after midnight Thursday, making a pitch to an available player at the exact moment free agency opened for the second straight year.
The Rockets are considered long shots to land the 6-foot-10 Bosh, who has averaged a double-double in three of his seven seasons with Toronto. But Morey wanted to meet with Bosh anyway, envisioning a perfect complement to All-Star center Yao Ming, who said this week he'll pick up the player option on his contract and return to the Rockets next season.
"We put our best foot forward," Morey said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "We just want him to make the best decision for him and hopefully, it's Houston."
New York, Miami and Chicago are considered frontrunners to land Bosh, because they already have enough salary cap space cleared to offer a maximum contract. The Rockets would have to give up several assets in a sign-and-trade deal with Bosh's current team, Toronto, to make him a comparable offer and Morey said he's willing to take that risk.
"We think we're a deep team," Morey said, "and we think we can give up some good pieces and still be a great team."
Bosh put up career-highs of 24.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 52 percent shooting last season. But he's never won a playoff series, and Morey said that he tried to sell Bosh on Houston's championship potential.
Houston went 42-40 without Yao last season.
"We feel like we'd be an elite team in the West (with Bosh), as good as anyone," Morey said. "We're a team ready to win. The core of players we had won more games than any team without a superstar, and now we're going to add Yao Ming. Adding Chris Bosh with Yao, I think we could be a 60-win team."
Yao sent Bosh a message on Twitter about an hour before the negotiating period for free agents opened. Yao said Tuesday that he'll be 100 percent healthy for training camp after sitting out last season following foot surgery.
"Hey Chris, hopefully you'll play with us next season," Yao said. "I'll be healthy and I'd really look forward to playing together."
Last season, when the extent of Yao's injury was uncertain, Morey knocked on the door of Orlando center Marcin Gortat just after midnight on the first day of free agency. Morey announced the initial meeting on his Facebook page and urged fans to leave notes for Gortat at an e-mail address, but the 6-11 center ended up staying with the Magic.
The Rockets signed free agent Trevor Ariza last summer when Ron Artest decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
Morey said this week the Rockets are well-positioned this summer to make a strong pitch to one of the big-name free agents available.
Yao's return was a pivotal selling point, Morey said, and on Wednesday, the Rockets extended qualifying offers to starting forward Luis Scola and backup point guard Kyle Lowry, both restricted free agents. Houston also picked up the team option to bring back forward Chuck Hayes next season.
Morey said Bosh was Houston's No. 1 target, and he had no meetings immediately scheduled with other free agents.
Rockets extend qualifying offers to Scola, Lowry
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola.
By making the offers, the Rockets retain the right to match any offers that Lowry or Scola might receive after free agency opens on Thursday.
General manager Daryl Morey has said that owner Leslie Alexander wants both players back next season. The 6-foot-9 Scola started all 82 games for Houston last season, averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. The 6-foot Lowry averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 assists backing up point guard Aaron Brooks.
On Tuesday, All-Star center Yao Ming said he would not opt out of his contract and play for the Rockets next season.
Jefferson opts out of final year with Spurs
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Spurs swingman Richard Jefferson has opted out of the final year of his contract and will become a free agent.
Spurs spokesman Tom James said the nine-year veteran informed the team Thursday. Jefferson was due to make about $15 million next year after underachieving in his first season in San Antonio.
Jefferson averaged 12.3 points last season, his lowest since his rookie year. He struggled to adapt to coach Gregg Popovich's system, at one point losing his job in the starting lineup.
The Spurs traded for Jefferson and his hefty contract last summer in a deal with Milwaukee.
Dirk coming to Dallas to talk contract with Mavs
DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki saved the Dallas Mavericks a trip to Germany, a sign the team's all-time leading scorer and rebounder might not be a free agent for long.
Mavericks president Donnie Nelson said he was moments away from boarding a plane for Nowitzki's homeland Wednesday when the former MVP's adviser called to say they were flying to Dallas instead.
Nelson, Nowitzki and Holger Geschwindner are expected to meet at Nowitzki's Dallas home Thursday, the first day for negotiations with free agents. The nine-time All-Star joined the bumper crop of NBA stars possibly seeking new homes when he decided to opt out of the final year of his contract, worth $21.5 million.
Nelson said in a text message to The Associated Press that it was a "really good sign" that the Germans were coming to Dallas, where Nowitzki has spent his entire 12-year career. Nelson said he was at an airline counter when Geschwindner called.
Meeting with reporters before he left for the airport, Nelson said there was no backup plan if the Mavericks didn't re-sign Nowitzki. Nelson said other big-name free agents and stars wouldn't be interested in the Mavericks without Nowitzki.
"Everything else hinges on this," Nelson said. "We're going all-out. We'll get this thing done, and then we'll survey the rest of the field and figure out where to go from there."
Dallas had been discussing an extension with Nowitzki, but it would've been for only three years. He can get a four-year contract as a free agent, and perhaps a no-trade clause, something his existing deal lacks.
"We will put our best foot forward," Nelson said before his sudden change in travel plans. "He is our A No. 1 player, and we are going to tell him how much we love him."
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will be in Los Angeles at the start of free agency, close to the agents for many of the biggest NBA stars, Nelson said. The top contenders are headlined by LeBron James, but also include Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Paul Pierce.
Nelson said he wasn't worried about missing out on sales pitches for other big names.
"There is no mix if there's no Dirk," Nelson said.
A quick deal with Nowitzki boosts the Mavericks chances of landing other big names, although Dallas is considered a long shot in the free agent derby. Nelson said he hoped that dialogue with other potential free agents started with news that the Mavericks had secured Nowitzki.
-- Schuyler Dixon
More NBA Free Agency
LeBron leads free-agent crop ready to change NBA
NEW YORK (AP) — Let the bidding and begging begin.
The NBA's free agency period has opened, with LeBron James leading perhaps the deepest group of players to ever hit the market.
Teams could begin making their pitches at 12:01 a.m. EDT Thursday, and some were getting started quickly.
Atlanta's Joe Johnson was expecting early visits in Los Angeles from the Hawks and New York Knicks, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting that the Hawks were prepared to offer the All-Star shooting guard a maximum salary contract.
Things get interesting later Thursday, when the New Jersey Nets and Knicks are scheduled for visits to Ohio to meet with James, the two-time MVP who heads the class.
It includes other All-Stars such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer; veterans such as Shaquille O'Neal and Ray Allen; and young up-and-comers such as Rudy Gay and David Lee.
"We've never had anything like this in my time that I can remember," New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn said. "There have been big-time free agents before, but never this many teams that are trying to woo them. So it's unprecedented."
Teams were headed around the country to meet with players, though the Mavs were saved a long trip when Nowitzki informed them he would meet with them Thursday in Dallas — with the message arriving while president Donnie Nelson was at the airport preparing for a flight to Germany.
Showing they planned to be active, the Knicks confirmed on Twitter they would also meet with Wizards swingman Mike Miller in Los Angeles. But they would do so without team president Donnie Walsh, who went directly to Ohio in preparation for Thursday's meeting with James.
Pat Riley and a Heat contingent also began their free agency tour in California, where teams were hoping to meet with Stoudemire. They also planned to meet with Johnson.
It promised to be a wild first few days of July, with plans changing by the minute.
"You're not in control, as much as you would like to be," Timberwolves president David Kahn said. "I don't think any team feels right now they're in control of the situation. There's too many teams with room. Too many fine players out there. I think in those types of situations, it's best to be really nimble and change course if need be."
Kahn said early Thursday that Gay would visit Minnesota later in the day and Lee would arrive on Saturday. Gay is a restricted free agent, so Memphis can match any offer for him.
Even the Clippers, those longtime losers, thought they could be a player this summer. General manager Neil Olshey announced in a statement the team had already contacted several players and confirmed it had scored an invitation to meet with James.
"At that time, we intend to present the many reasons why his joining our organization is the best possible choice he could make," Olshey said.
Talk of James' destination seems to change by the minute. He was considered a lock for Chicago in one report, then seemingly guaranteed to head to Miami in another. The rumor mill spun so out of control that an online sports book simply stopped taking action on James' next team.
Bottom line: James can get perhaps $125 million over six years by staying in Cleveland; $96 million over five years if he goes. (The exact figures can't be determined until next season's salary cap is set in July). But leaving could put him in a better position to win a championship.
Thorn is headed to Ohio, where James will welcome suitors to his home state Thursday. He'll be joined by new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, coach Avery Johnson and hip-hop superstar Jay-Z, a part-owner and James' longtime friend.
The Knicks plan to drop in on James, too. They can afford to pay him and another classmate the maximum next season, which might be what the Knicks need to finally get going again after a franchise-record nine straight losing seasons.
"We've had to live through some tough times in order to get where you think you start rebuilding the franchise," Walsh said. "We have that opportunity now. How well, how fast we can rebuild the team can be shortcut by getting great players."
They'll have plenty of competition. The Heat, Nets, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers also can afford to offer a player about $16.6 million next season, which is the maximum someone with James' amount of NBA experience can make. Chicago and New Jersey made trades in recent days to push them closer to joining the Knicks with enough to offer two max deals, and the Heat can keep Wade, give an additional max contract and have enough left over for another quality player.
Top players rarely leave via free agency because NBA rules allow their teams to offer them more money in the long run. The difference comes not in the first year of a new contract, but in the raises.
A player signing with his own team is eligible for annual increases of 10.5 percent, while a new team can offer only 8 percent bumps. The home team can also offer six-year deals, whereas players joining new teams can get only five-year contracts.
The Knicks traded away Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph — the NBA's top sixth man and a first-time All-Star, respectively — to get their $34 million in cap room. New Jersey, which shipped out Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter in recent years, went just 12-70 last season but hopes for a quick turnaround. Miami essentially left Wade to play by himself this season in exchange for the chance to get him some superstar help next year.
"It is an 'all-in' strategy, in that even when it works, you're going to have to operate with a very low payroll," Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "If it doesn't work, it can be catastrophic in terms of if you strike out, it's going to be very difficult to be competitive."
Morey used his Twitter feed to announce he'd met with Bosh in the opening hours of free agency.
"He is about winning so I focused on how (with) Houston he can win a championship," Morey wrote.
The clock started ticking four summers ago, when James, Wade and Bosh passed on maximum-length extensions on their rookie contracts in favor of shorter deals that allowed them to opt for free agency this summer.
Momentum kept building as fears grew that owners will seek radical changes in the length and value of contracts next summer when the league's collective bargaining agreement expires. That made it wise for a player like Nowitzki, even if he has no intention of leaving Dallas, to exercise his early termination option now and sign a new deal under the current rules.
Toronto expects to lose Bosh. If the All-Star forward joins James or Wade, or both, that team figures to become an immediate championship contender. Boston won the title the year after assembling its Big Three — which could now be broken up with Ray Allen on the market — and the Lakers have reached the finals every year since acquiring Pau Gasol to complement Kobe Bryant.
Numerous teams are now dreaming of similar pairings once deals can be signed on July 8.
"You look at the teams that have an awful lot of cap space, there could be a lot of power shifting in this league," Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis said.
-- Brian Mahoney
Chicago Bulls ready to woo LeBron, Wade, Bosh
CHICAGO (AP) — So, King James, would you like to get the royal treatment in your idol’s old hometown and help the Windy City rekindle the joy of the Michael Jordan era?
How about a homecoming, Dwyane Wade?
And what about you, Chris Bosh? Do you like deep dish?
With LeBron James heading what might be the NBA’s greatest free-agent class and the Bulls holding enough salary cap space to woo two stars, expectations are soaring in Chicago. The Bulls can make themselves championship contenders for years to come with the right sales pitch.
That means come Thursday all eyes are on you, general manager Gar Forman. Not to mention you, executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
“I think there’s always some pressure,” Forman said. “We challenge ourselves each and every day to make improvements and try to get better — not only myself, but everybody in this organization.”
Reports in recent days have linked James and Bosh as a package going to the Bulls and joining Derrick Rose. Others have them teaming with Wade and giving Miami what would amount to a near-dream team.
Agent Henry Thomas, who represents Wade and Bosh, said both are interested in talking with the Bulls. He also told the Associated Press that Wade has talked to both James and Bosh.
Besides those three, perennial All-Stars Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki could hit a loaded market. And teams like the Bulls might have tough calls to make if a player wants to sign while they’re awaiting word from others.
“We put scenarios, hypotheticals, on the board,” Forman said. “And those are the things we talk about in preparing, just like we do for the draft. ... If this happens, how will we react?”
The Bulls have been eyeing this moment for a while.
They let leading scorer Ben Gordon sign with Detroit last summer and traded away John Salmons during the season, assuring they would have enough cap room to offer a maximum contract during this free-agent frenzy. They didn’t stop there, though.
Last week, they agreed to trade veteran guard Kirk Hinrich and his $9 million salary next season along with the 17th pick in the draft to Washington for a future second-rounder, according to a person familiar with the situation. That deal can’t become official until July 8 — when the new salary cap takes hold and the Wizards can absorb Hinrich’s salary without sending back something of similar financial value. Once it goes through, it will leave the Bulls with about $30 million in cap room.
Although that might not be enough to offer two maximum free agent contracts, it certainly puts the Bulls in position to be huge players in free agency.
“The flexibility gives us opportunities to get better, and there’s a lot of different angles we can take,” Forman said. “It’s not necessarily one thing. It gives us a chance to get better, and our job is to explore all those different options, be prepared for different options and then try to take advantage.”
The question is, can they close the deal?
That’s something they didn’t do in 2000 when Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan were on the market.
The Bulls put the full-court press on McGrady, with a three-piece band, cheerleaders, Benny the Bull and then-general manager Jerry Krause greeting him at O’Hare, but there was little substance beyond that spectacle. With little talent in place, the Bulls wound up with Ron Mercer and Brad Miller instead of a major star.
This time, they are looking to add to a core that has produced back-to-back 41-win seasons and first-round playoff losses. New coach Tom Thibodeau says he “can’t imagine” why any free agent wouldn’t seriously think about becoming a Bull.
Their sales pitch starts with the unselfish Rose, who made the All-Star team in his second season after winning the Rookie of the Year award.
They can point to Joakim Noah, who averaged 11.0 rebounds in his third season and tied for seventh in the NBA. They might mention Taj Gibson coming off a rookie season that saw him average 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Add a star or two to that mix, and the Bulls figure to be contenders.
“We think there’s going to be a real window here for players to come and have success long term,” Forman said.
If they lure James, a city that’s still basking in the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory just might throw another big bash.
Steve Schanwald, Bulls executive vice president of business operations, said the free agency possibilities have led to thousands of new season ticket sales, including 2,100 in the last week alone.
“In my near 24 years with the Chicago Bulls, I’ve never seen a feeding frenzy like the one we are experiencing right now,” he said in an e-mail. “The Jordan-Pippen experience was much more gradual. This was like turning on a light switch or opening the floodgates.”
In downtown Chicago, Bulls fans took their sales pitch to a higher level — about 30 feet. The group behind sendLeBrontoChicago.com posted a billboard pleading with “King James” to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In Las Vegas, suddenly the Bulls and the Heat appear to be gamblers’ darlings.
John Avello, director of Race and Sports operations at Wynn Las Vegas, said when the season ended, he had the Bulls at 20 to 1 when the season ended to win the championship next year, with the Heat at 40-1 and the Cavaliers at 3-1.
Now?
The Bulls were 10-1, with Miami at 12-1 and Cleveland at 5-1 on Tuesday afternoon.
“If he stays with Cleveland, they’ll be lowered back down to 3 to 1,” Avello said. “If he’s there, they’ll be very competitive.”
As for the Bulls?
“We feel the potential is unlimited as we continue to build and add to this team,” Forman said.
-- Andrew Seligman
At last, free agency starts for Dwyane Wade
MIAMI (AP) — For Dwyane Wade, the start of free agency was predictable. He got courted by Pat Riley. And so did a slew of other marquee free agents who have all found their way onto Miami's wish list.
The most awaited free-agent period in NBA history arrived when the clock struck 12:01 a.m. Thursday, and Riley, the Heat president, immediately sprang into action. Miami contacted Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and several other players, essentially inviting them all to meet with the Heat — who are loaded with salary-cap room.
"The best," former Heat star and current team executive Alonzo Mourning said hours earlier, "is yet to come."
Accompanied by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and minority owner Nick Arison, among others, Riley was in Los Angeles for the start of the frenzy. A meeting with Stoudemire was expected to be near the top of their itinerary, with Boozer and Mike Miller also believed to be welcoming teams in Los Angeles as well. The Heat also contacted several of their own free agents, including Udonis Haslem.
"This is a rarity," Mourning said. "This doesn't happen, man, when you have this level of free agents available. There's a frenzy. ... So none of this surprises me at all."
Wade was in Chicago and expected to meet with the Bulls on Thursday as one of his earliest moves of the process. Wade will speak to the New York Knicks and other clubs sometime before the weekend, and isn't expected back in South Florida before the early part of next week.
Players can agree to deals with teams at any time, though nothing can be finalized until July 8 under league rules.
After seven seasons with Miami, Wade doesn't want to leave, yet says it's up to the Heat to put together a roster that will help him contend for more championships.
"They know what I want to see," Wade told The Associated Press in an interview last week. "I think everyone does."
In Miami on Wednesday, hundreds of people yelled for Wade at a rally, egged on by a fist-pumping, arm-waving Mourning.
Taking over the downstairs of a governmental office complex, well-wishers waved signs, wrote messages to Wade on an oversized card and donned T-shirts with the logo of Miami-Dade County — which, until July 8, has been renamed Miami-Wade County, even with the colors redone to match the Heat red and black scheme.
Hours later, the plane carrying Riley and the Heat contingent headed west to Los Angeles. It'll criss-cross back the other way Thursday, the Heat hoping to land a meeting with LeBron James, who's reportedly set to talk with the Knicks and Nets also on Day 1 of the mania.
It's unknown when Riley will meet with Chris Bosh, who over the weekend told the AP that he has high interest in Miami. Rudy Gay also is likely to meet with Miami sometime in the coming days, although his free-agent tour will begin in Minnesota on Thursday and will include multiple other clubs.
"You have some individuals who have increased their chances of getting there and winning it all," Mourning said. "It's a great opportunity for them to really dissect what's important in their lives."
Miami only has two players under contract for next season at this point, guard Mario Chalmers and forward Michael Beasley. They've been working out together at the Heat facility, neither having any idea who will be in the locker room with them when camp starts in about three months. It's an odd situation, for sure.
"You don't know who's going to be here," Chalmers said. "So we just have to step our games up. For now, it's just me, Mike and D-Wade."
That is, if D-Wade stays put. Mourning told the people at the Wade rally that the team expects the former NBA scoring champion to stay and is increasingly confident it will happen. That would mean Riley believes he can make the roster upgrades Wade wants, because without them, Wade said he would look elsewhere.
"Pat Riley is a company guy," Mourning said. "He's going to do what he can to make sure the organization is successful. I can't read Pat's mind, but in my 16 years of being around this man, I do know he's going to do everything remotely possible to bring a world championship back to this organization."
And like everyone else, Mourning said, Wade was ready to see free agent start — and end.
"Very much so," Mourning said. "Very, very much so."
-- Tim Reynolds
Nets' free-agent pitch will have a little hip-hop
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z is going to be a part of the New Jersey Nets' recruiting team during free agency, and not just when they meet with his good buddy, LeBron James.
Jay-Z will be in Akron, Ohio, on Thursday when owner Mikhail Prokhorov, coach Avery Johnson and outgoing president and general manager Rod Thorn make their initial pitch to James.
The entertainer will be overseas for concerts this weekend when the Nets talk to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but expect the minority owner back when the Nets talk to Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and Rudy Gay.
Brett Yormark, president and chief executive of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, wouldn't or couldn't specifically outline the game plan for the Nets' presentation to James.
Thorn did not return a telephone call left by The Associated Press seeking to discuss free agency on Wednesday.
"From my point of view there is not a silver bullet in our story," Yormark said Wednesday. "We think we have a very compelling story, and you tell the story."
The Nets have more to say than they are coming off a league-worst 12-70 record and that they have roughly $30 million to spend on a free agent market. They have two young stars in point guard Devin Harris and center Brook Lopez along with optimism for power forward Derrick Favors, the third pick overall in the draft last week.
The picture is bigger, though. For the next two seasons they will play in a relatively new arena in Newark before moving to their new digs in Brooklyn.
"Our story is truly complete when you think of the globalization of this team," Yormark said. "We have a global owner. You have involvement by one of the most dynamic and global entertainers in the world. You have a core nucleus on the court that is very well respected. You have a new dynamic coach who has the best winning percentage of any active coach.
"You have the two-year move to Brooklyn, which I think is a game changer in what that will mean to Brooklyn, but also globally. Brooklyn is a global borough. It has been under served in sports and entertainment since 1957. We think we have a very powerful platform that someone will want to be a part of."
And there is the Jay-Z factor.
The 40-year-old rapper and 10-time Grammy Award winner is the X-factor. People seem to want to be around him, and the Nets are using that.
Just this week, they put up a 225-foot mural of Jay-Z and Prokhorov in midtown Manhattan, proclaiming "the blueprint for greatness."
Jay-Z's 2001 album is "The Blueprint."
What made the mural so interesting was its location at Eighth Ave. and 34th St. That's right next to Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks, one of the Nets' rivals in the LeBron bidding war along with the Cavaliers and Bulls.
"I think his presence will grow with this franchise en route to Brooklyn," Yormark said. "He has been waiting for this moment for quite some time with respect to being on the verge to Brooklyn and becoming the Brooklyn Nets. I would tend to say his involvement and his influence in this franchise will continue to grow over time. I don't look at this as a one-shot deal.
"I think it is fair to say, he is iconic himself," Yormark said. "He is embraced by consumers and athletes alike, so having him as part of our platform is truly powerful and I think a differentiator."
-- Tom Canavan
Stoudemire opts out of Phoenix Suns contract
PHOENIX (AP) — Amare Stoudemire has opted out of the final year of his contract with the Phoenix Suns to become part of an illustrious list of free agents this season.
Agent Happy Walters said the five-time All-Star made the move Wednesday after talks with Suns owner Robert Sarver failed to result in an agreement on a contract extension. The last year of Stoudemire's contract was worth about $17.7 million.
"I opted out of my contract with PHX," Stoudemire said on his Twitter account. "Can't wait to see what lies ahead. I had a blast with my teammates last season. What's Next!!"
Walters said the Suns remain in the picture but the 6-foot-10, 249-pound power forward wants to see what develops on the free agent market. Stoudemire has been with the Suns since he was drafted out of high school, as the ninth pick overall, in 2002.
Walters said he and Stoudemire met for three hours with Sarver and Suns coach Alvin Gentry in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
"The Suns have been great and Amare loves them," Walters said. "It's just trying to make both sides comfortable and happy with everything."
Stoudemire wants a contract with the maximum money and length the NBA allows but Walters said "if it all worked out, he might take less to stay in Phoenix than he would elsewhere."
The Suns reportedly didn't want a six-year deal, the longest allowed under league rules, because of concerns over Stoudemire's health. He missed all but three games of the 2005-06 season to undergo and recover from microfracture knee surgery. He was sidelined the final 29 games of the 2008-09 season after surgery to repair a partially detached retina.
Walters said he expected to start hearing from teams interested in Stoudemire shortly after the free agency period began at midnight EDT. That's 9 p.m. Los Angeles and Arizona time.
The Suns conducted the last stages of their negotiations without a general manager after Steve Kerr stepped down. Kerr's contract expired Wednesday and he did not take part in the Tuesday talks.
Stoudemire, nicknamed "Stat" by his teammates, teamed with Steve Nash to form one of the NBA's most formidable pick-and-roll combinations. He played in every game last season, averaging 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds. He averaged 22.2 points in Phoenix's surprising playoff run to the Western Conference finals, but his rebounds dropped to 6.6 per game, just 5.5 in the conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stoudemire has career averages of 21.4 points and 8.9 rebounds.
-- Bob Baum
Durant keeping contract demands to himself
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kevin Durant’s offseason itinerary has taken the NBA’s youngest scoring champion to New York, L.A., Chicago and the Great Wall of China, and it will lead him elsewhere with the U.S. national basketball team.
All the while, he’s settling into a new home in Oklahoma City — perhaps long term.
“So far, my summer’s been great,” Durant said Wednesday at the opening of his youth basketball camp.
Soon, it could also bring a financial windfall. Durant and the Thunder can begin negotiations on a long-term contract extension late Wednesday. It’s be his first chance to cash in big-time on his budding NBA stardom, which has brought him the Rookie of the Year award, a selection to last year’s All-Star game and finally the scoring title at age 21.
Just hours before the negotiations could start, Durant had no interest in airing his demands publicly.
“We’ll see,” Durant said. “We’ll talk about that tomorrow if it happens.”
Durant has previously said he wants to stay put, but would it take a maximum contract to make it happen?
“I’m just worried about these campers outside,” Durant said. “That’s all I’m worried about right now.”
Durant said he expected to be watching TV or using his iPad when the negotiation period opens, and he’s “not really” expecting a knock on his door when the clock strikes midnight out east.
He preferred to talk about anything but his contract situation. After all, he was trying to pass along a message to the campers that the keys to success are having a passion and love for the game while knowing the fundamentals.
“I’m still a kid myself,” Durant said.
About 460 boys and girls were signed up for the three-day camp for kids ages 7-18, with another 60 on a waiting list, and Durant provided a treat right off the bat. With kids in the morning session seated in rows, Durant stood at halfcourt with his back to the basket and banked in an over-the-shoulder shot.
“That’s been in my repertoire for a while. I’m practicing it for my H-O-R-S-E championship next year again,” said Durant, who has taken home the first two H-O-R-S-E titles at the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
Durant said he embraces the opportunity to be a role model for children at the camp and elsewhere.
“The moment you’re drafted, kids look up to you and want to be in your position,” Durant said. “But I’m a regular guy. That’s what I try to tell people is that you can come up and talk to me and I’ll talk back to you. I’m a cool person. I just happen to play basketball.
“But at the same time, I know kids are looking up to me. I know I have to do the right thing for them to look up to.”
Durant’s offseason started earlier than he had hoped, after the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Thunder on Pau Gasol’s tip-in with a half-second left in a 95-94 victory in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. Oklahoma City, which had won just 23 games a season earlier, finished with 50 wins while making the playoffs for the first time since Durant was drafted in 2007.
Still, watching the rest of the playoffs was hard on him — especially as the Lakers kept winning.
“It made it worse, of course, because we had the chance to beat those guys,” Durant said. “But they’re the champions, so you’ve got to respect what they did and how they got there. But it was tough to watch. As a competitor, I couldn’t watch it anymore. A lot of people were talking about that I was upset, but that’s just who I am.
“I’m just trying to work even harder and harder to get back to the playoffs first of all and try to go far.”
Durant said there have only been about 10 days over the past two months when he hasn’t played basketball, even as he has shuttled from coast to coast and beyond. He’s spent time back home near the nation’s capital, visited teammates in Los Angeles and held camps in Chicago and in China — where he visited the Great Wall and Forbidden City and saw pandas for the first time.
Later this summer, he’ll join the U.S. team for camp in Las Vegas before playing in the world championships in Turkey.
“I can’t stay away from the game that long. It could be tough on my body but I just can’t stay away from it,” Durant said.
-- Jeff Latzke
Bobcats’ Chandler staying; Felton leaving?
Tyson Chandler is staying in Charlotte — for now. Tyrus Thomas is likely back — at least for one more season.
Raymond Felton, though, may have played his final game with the Bobcats, which could lead to a flurry of activity to shore up the backcourt.
While not a factor in the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh sweepstakes, the Michael Jordan-owned Bobcats face some intrigue of their own as free agency begins Thursday.
The first question was solved Wednesday morning, when agent Jeff Schwartz told the Bobcats their center Chandler wouldn’t opt out of the final year of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent.
Chandler had been hoping to get a contract extension, but the Bobcats declined. With uncertainty surrounding the terms of the next labor agreement, Chandler and his representatives considered forfeiting $12.7 million due next season and search for a long-term deal elsewhere.
But the 7-foot-1 Chandler, who was held to 50 games last season and 45 the year before in New Orleans because of foot and ankle injuries, didn’t have bargaining power. While it means the Bobcats keep their depth at center, they’re also strapped for salary-cap space with Chandler’s contract.
After giving Thomas a one-year, $6.2 million qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent, the Bobcats have nearly $67 million committed to 11 players for next season. That includes an extra $1 million for bonuses Gerald Wallace received for making the All-Star team ($500,000) and all-defensive team ($500.000) that will count toward next season’s cap.
With the luxury tax projected to kick in around $68-69 million — and with Jordan stating publicly he won’t exceed it — Felton’s future in Charlotte looks bleak.
His uneven career — and major struggles in the playoffs — don’t help him, either.
Felton averaged 12.1 points and 5.6 assists while shooting a career-best 46 percent from the field last season. But he was then thoroughly outplayed by Orlando’s Jameer Nelson in Charlotte’s first-round playoff sweep.
General manager Rod Higgins has called Felton’s impending unrestricted free agency a “delicate subject.” The team has no meetings set up with Felton, who has changed agents and is now represented by Tony Dutt.
“Raymond is looking forward to continuing his career where ever it might be, as he understands the business,” Dutt said. “I also know he loves the fans in Charlotte.”
If Felton, who turned down an offer from the Bobcats last summer that would have paid him roughly $6 million per season, doesn’t return, the Bobcats will almost certainly have to make a trade for a point guard. D.J. Augustin, who struggled for much of last season, is the only other point guard on the roster.
The team pursued Indiana’s T.J. Ford last season. The Bobcats could also try to pull off a larger deal that could include Chandler. A player with a large salary would likely have to be involved for the Bobcats to clear enough payroll.
The Bobcats’ payroll situation may also mean Thomas will play in his one-year qualifying offer instead of a long-term deal. Thomas, acquired from Chicago in a February trade, provided Charlotte with a needed rebounder and shot blocker and has become a favorite of coach Larry Brown.
The Bobcats could match any offer Thomas may receive from another team, or Thomas could sign his qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. But Thomas said last week he hoped to stay with the Bobcats long-term.
“They’re feeling like they’re excited about bringing me back,” Thomas said, “and I’m very excited about coming back.”
The Bobcats have other lower-tier free agents, too. Veteran center Theo Ratliff, reserve Stephen Graham and guard Larry Hughes all go on the market.
Flip Murray, whom Charlotte sent to the Bulls in the Thomas trade, is also a free agent. The Bobcats missed his outside shooting in the postseason.
The one thing that the Bobcats have been willing and often successful in doing is make trades. It’s how they got Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw and Chandler, and it may be the only way for Jordan to improve the roster as he prepares for his first full season as majority owner.
-- Mike Cranston
Wolves to play host to Gay, Lee this week
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — David Kahn promised the Minnesota Timberwolves would be aggressive when the free agency bell rung, and he backed up those words shortly after the market opened early Thursday morning.
Kahn secured visits from Memphis small forward Rudy Gay and New York power forward David Lee as he works to reshape a roster that won just 15 games last season.
Kahn also said the team was "very, very close" to a deal with center Nikola Pekovic, the team's 2008 second-round draft pick who has been playing in Greece. No contract can be signed until the free agent moratorium ends on July 8.
Gay was scheduled to arrive in the Twin Cities on Thursday and visit through Friday while Lee is scheduled to come in on Saturday.
"They clearly were the two players I felt we wanted to meet and wanted to get to know better and have an opportunity to have a dialogue with," Kahn said early Thursday morning. "I'm very pleased that both of them accepted."
Gay averaged 19.6 points and 5.3 rebounds last season for the Grizzlies and fits what Kahn says the team is looking for in a young, athletic wing player with a versatile offensive game. He is a restricted free agent, so the Grizzlies would have the right to match any offer made.
"He's a player that's been on our radar from a distance for quite some time," Kahn said.
The Timberwolves brought in three wing players on draft night — Syracuse's Wesley Johnson at No. 4, Marquette's Lazar Hayward at No. 30 and Portland veteran Martell Webster in a trade for the 16th pick. But Kahn said there is plenty of room for Gay and did not rule out trading any of the aforementioned or Corey Brewer if Gay were to sign with Minnesota.
Kahn and coach Kurt Rambis envision pairing Gay and Johnson together on the wings, once Johnson learns how to defend shooting guards.
"When you think about it it would be quite exciting actually to see some of these guys flying up and down the court together," Kahn said.
The invitation to Lee could be further proof that Al Jefferson's days in Minnesota are coming to an end. Lee averaged 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds for the Knicks last season. Kahn thinks his skills fit the up-tempo offense Rambis wants to run better than Jefferson, who thrives in the halfcourt as one of the best low-post offensive players in the game.
"It is fluid. We don't know what will occur there," Kahn said of the possibility of trading Jefferson, who averaged 17.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in his first season back from major knee surgery. "David Lee plays a style of play that fits very well with who we are and who we aim to be. He's very productive. He runs very well. He's strong around the basket. Exceptional passer. We thought he would also be a very obvious fit for us going forward."
Gay is expected to visit the Nets and Knicks on Friday and Saturday, and the Miami Heat would like to meet with him in the coming days as well. Lee will almost assuredly take other visits before making a decision and Kahn said it was still far too early to say if any offers would be made.
In the 6-foot-11 Pekovic, the Timberwolves will be adding one of the most coveted players in Europe to a front line that sorely lacks size and played the 6-10 Jefferson out of position at center all last season.
Pekovic played for the Greek team Panathinikos in the Euroleague last season and averaged 14.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. Kahn would not say that a deal is in place.
"I don't feel comfortable saying that without anything written on a piece of paper," Kahn said. "He's somebody who could really help us."
Kahn also spoke to the agent for center Darko Milicic on a busy night and is working to bring the 7-footer back to Minnesota.
Given his first extensive playing time in years, Milicic averaged 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 24 games with the Wolves. Rambis was impressed with Milicic's versatility and presence on the defensive end, and was vocal in his desire to see him return.
"Darko, we think, could be our starting center this year and we'd like to have him back," Kahn said.
Milicic's agent, Marc Cornstein, said Wednesday that his client is definitely open to returning to Minnesota.
"I know he really enjoyed his time in Minnesota and would be happy to come back if everything worked out," Cornstein said.
-- Jon Krawczynski
Agent: Johnson meeting with Hawks
ATLANTA (AP) — Joe Johnson's agent says the four-time All-Star is meeting with the Atlanta Hawks at the start of the free-agent negotiating period.
The Hawks are expected to do their best to keep Johnson, a free agent, by offering their top scorer a maximum contract in Thursday's early morning meeting in Los Angeles.
Johnson led the Hawks with 21.3 points per game.
Johnson's agent, Arn Tellem, told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Johnson has not been involved in any meetings with other free agents. Tellem says he won't discuss hypothetical situations, including a possible max offer from the Hawks. "We'll see what they're willing to do," Tellem says.
Free agents can talk with any team after 12:01 a.m. ET Thursday. No deal can be signed until July 8.
-- Charles Odum
Other NBA News
Celtics coach Doc Rivers will return for 2010-11
BOSTON (AP) — The people that matter the most to Doc Rivers wanted him to keep coaching — so he will.
The Boston Celtics' coach will return for another season, staying with the team he led to the NBA finals twice in three years for a run at another championship.
"A lot of soul-searching with the family," said Rivers, who was in San Antonio on Wednesday to watch his son, Austin, play for the United States against Brazil in the final of the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. "Talking to my wife, she was really the one who said, 'You've got to.' I just think she wanted me out of the house more than anything.
"My kids all said, 'You're a coach. That's what you are. And you're a parent, and we appreciate both.' And so that made it easier."
Rivers' decision was first reported in the Boston Herald. Four hours later, the Celtics released a statement confirming Rivers would return.
"Doc is a fantastic coach and leader and I am thrilled he is coming back for the upcoming season," Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
"Doc is re-energized and enthusiastic about coming back to make another run at winning a championship with the Celtics," general manager Danny Ainge said in the two-sentence statement.
Austin Rivers, a highly recruited guard who will graduate from Winter Park (Fla.) High School in 2011, scored 19 points in the U.S. team's 81-78 victory. He scored a USA Basketball under-18-record 35 points Tuesday in the Americans' semifinal victory over Canada.
The inability to watch his four children play in sports was one of the major things pulling Doc Rivers toward taking time off from coaching. He said at last week's NBA draft that he was hoping there would be some compromise that would allow him to give both his personal and professional lives proper attention.
Rivers lives in the Orlando area in the offseason, and his family remains there.
"It's like my kids say, 'You come to more games than most parents doing your job,'" he said. "It's not going to be a big change. I'm still going to get to attend their games."
Rivers' decision does not mean that the nucleus of the Celtics team that won the franchise's unprecedented 17th NBA title in 2008 will be back for a run in 2010-11. Paul Pierce has reportedly said he will opt out of his contract and become a free agent, and Ray Allen is also due to become a free agent on Thursday.
Rivers said he was "confident, but I'm not overconfident" about Pierce's and Allen's return.
"We want to go after this one more time, and we have Kevin (Garnett) and Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) hopefully all coming back, so why not?" he said. "Let's see if we can do it one more time."
Without them, the Celtics would need to make a big splash in free agency to contend.
Garnett is under contract for two more years and point guard Rajon Rondo signed an extension last fall that would keep him in Boston through the 2014-15 season. Kendrick Perkins, who could miss six months or more with torn knee ligaments, has one year left on his deal.
Rivers has a career coaching record of 451-380, with a 46-40 playoff mark. With the Celtics, he is 280-212 with a 41-30 postseason record.
He guided Boston to a 66-16 record and the Celtics' record 17th NBA title two years ago. This season, the Celtics returned to the NBA finals before losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers.
-- Jimmy Golen
AP source: Cavs in "serious talks" with Scott
CLEVELAND (AP) — On the eve of LeBron James' exalted entrance into free agency, the Cleveland Cavaliers gave him something else to consider.
They may finally have their coach.
In an unexpected turn of events, the team is in "serious talks" with former New Orleans coach Byron Scott, a person familiar with Cleveland's dramatic and drawn-out search told The Associated Press. Scott, who was presumed to have fallen behind Lakers assistant Brian Shaw on the Cavs' list, could be named their coach by Thursday.
After completing interviews with several candidates including Shaw, the Cavaliers decided to "move in the Scott direction," said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the process is supposed to remain confidential.
The person said Cleveland has not yet offered Scott the job, "but is moving toward an agreement with him."
"Nothing is done or finalized," the person said. "It's still coming together."
Scott, a two-time NBA coach of the year, was believed to be a leading candidate to replace Phil Jackson in Los Angeles if the 11-time champion retired. Jackson is expected to announce his plans later this week, but Scott's renewed interest in Cleveland — hours before James is set to hit the free-agent market — could indicate Jackson will return to try and win a third straight championship with the Lakers.
Shaw is reportedly Jackson's preferred choice to take over the Lakers if he ends his unparalleled career.
The Cavs have been without a coach since firing Mike Brown after five seasons. Brown's dismissal, less than two weeks after the team fell short of a title with a second-round loss to Boston, was followed by a failed pursuit of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.
Shaw appeared to be the front runner to take over the Cavs following a two-day interview with owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Chris Grant. Shaw's agent, Jerome Stanley, confirmed in an e-mail to the AP late Tuesday night that his client was Cleveland's favored choice, and there were reports that Shaw was assembling a staff to help him in his first head coaching gig.
Scott's agent, Brian McInerney, even sent out an e-mail congratulating Shaw on getting Cleveland's job.
"Coach Scott welcomes Coach Shaw into the ranks of head coaching, and as a Laker family brother, wishes him the best, until the final two minutes of any game where they are competing against each other," the e-mail said.
But the Cavs never offered Shaw the position, and their attention turned to Scott as they prepared to make a strong pitch in coming days to woo James.
The 49-year-old Scott could entice the two-time MVP's return. Scott won three NBA titles during 11 seasons playing with the Lakers on their "Showtime" teams as Magic Johnson's backcourtmate. He also has experience coaching superstar players such as Jason Kidd and Chris Paul, both of whom are friends with James, and he has built a strong relationship with Kobe Bryant, a former teammate.
Scott emerged as a strong contender in Cleveland after Izzo rejected the club's reported $30 million offer two weeks ago. Scott and McInerney met with Gilbert, Grant and other members of the Cavs' ownership group on Father's Day in Michigan.
Scott's career record of 352-355 includes two trips to the finals with New Jersey (2002-03).
-- Tom Withers
Hornets bring in Malone to help coach defense
WESTWEGO, La. (AP) — When Monty Williams took his first head coaching job in New Orleans three weeks ago, he said one of his top priorities was to tighten up a defense that allowed nearly 103 points per game.
One of the first people he called on to help was former Cleveland Cavaliers lead defensive assistant Mike Malone.
"What they did in Cleveland speaks for itself," Williams said Wednesday after introducing Malone as one of three new assistants. "For me to have him on the staff and not dig into that would be crazy. So yeah, I expect him to have a huge role in our defense."
Malone, who nearly went into law enforcement instead of basketball, now has the most NBA coaching experience on what is currently a staff of four.
Williams also hired former San Antonio assistant James Borrego and former Sacramento assistant Bryan Gates, but noted he is still looking for his lead assistant. Borrego worked with the Spurs for seven seasons under Gregg Popovich. Gates is coming off his first year in the NBA as an assistant with Sacramento following a successful stint as head coach of the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League.
Malone, who got his first NBA job with the New York Knicks in 2001, has more experience than Williams, who after a decade-long playing career entered coaching as an intern in San Antonio in 2004.
When Malone joined the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy was head coach and defensive specialist Tom Thibodeau was an assistant.
In 2005, Malone joined the Cavaliers and in 2008 was elevated by then-head coach Mike Brown to defensive coordinator. Cleveland was the only club to give up fewer than 92 points per game in the 2008-09 season and ranked second in opponents' field goal percentage (.431).
"Obviously we were a defensive team in Cleveland. Mike Brown, from Day One, we preached defense," Malone said. "I could help Monty with that because that was our identity for five years. We won 66 games two years ago, 61 this past year, got to the finals our second year, because we defended at a high level, especially in the playoffs. That's where your defense has to be at its best. So I feel very comfortable and competent in my ability to coach defense."
Malone has coaching pedigree — his father, Brendan, is a former NBA head coach and now an assistant with the Orlando Magic — but he nearly went into another line of work.
One year out of college, Malone was working as an unpaid volunteer assistant coach with Oakland University in Michigan while holding down two paying jobs, one at a Foot Locker and one cleaning an office building from midnight to 4 a.m.
Wondering whether coaching was right for him, he applied for the Secret Service and began the process of joining the Michigan state police. It was around that time that one of his father's friends and colleagues, Pete Gillen, offered Malone a spot on his staff at Providence.
Malone pounced on the opportunity, even though his father advised him against going into coaching.
"The whole time my father said, 'You don't want to become a coach. It's a tough profession. There's no security. It's tough to have a family,'" Malone recalled. "He said, 'If you do become a coach, don't get married.' So I became a coach, I got married and he said, 'You don't listen to a word I say.' So he doesn't give me any more advice."
Although Williams said he liked the fact that Malone was the son of a basketball coach, what really got his attention was seeing Malone working at arenas with players several hours before games. Williams did the same when he was an assistant with Portland, and when the Trail Blazers played Cleveland, Williams would wonder toward half court and the two would chat.
"I would always check to see the other assistants who were there early," Williams said, referring not only Malone, but also Borrego and Gates. "All these guys are guys who'd be there early like that."
-- Brett Martel
Rudy Gay receives qualifying offer from Grizzlies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Restricted free agent Rudy Gay has received a qualifying offer from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The qualifying offer means the Grizzlies have the right of first refusal should another team try to sign Gay, their longest-tenured player.
It also means the Grizzlies are apparently willing to see what the market holds for Gay, who can negotiate with other teams during the free agency signing period that starts Thursday.
The 6-foot-8 forward was second on the Grizzlies in scoring last season with 19.6 points per game. Gay, a four-year veteran, is considered a rising talent who could earn interest from other teams seeking a young, athletic scorer.
Gay’s agent, Jeff Austin, says Gay is prepared for the free agency period.
Warriors make qualifying offers to Morrow, Watson
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors have extended qualifying offers to Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson, making both guards restricted free agents.
The Warriors made the moves Wednesday, giving themselves the right to match any offer sheet signed by either player.
Morrow's offer is worth $1.029 million for next season, while Watson's offer is for $1.25 million.
Morrow averaged 13 points and 3.8 rebounds in 69 games with Golden State last season, making 37 starts. He was fifth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, making 45.6 percent.
Watson averaged 10.3 points and 2.8 assists in 65 games, including 15 starts.
The Warriors didn't make qualifying offers to forward Anthony Tolliver and center Chris Hunter. Both are unrestricted free agents.
Villanova's Reynolds on Suns' summer league roster
PHOENIX (AP) — Undrafted first-team All-American Scottie Reynolds will play for the Phoenix Suns' entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.
The 6-foot-2 guard from Villanova was the first AP All-American unselected in the draft since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.
That statistic is a bit skewed because the draft went as many as 10 rounds in that span and now is limited to two. Still, the other four first-team AP All-Americans this year were among the first five drafted.
The Suns announced their 14-player roster on Wednesday. It includes Phoenix's second-round draft picks, Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech and Dwayne Collins of Miami, along with two players from last season's Suns team — Earl Clark and Taylor Griffin. The team will be coached by Phoenix assistant Dan Majerle. Play begins on July 9.
Can't have No. 11, so Wizards' Wall chooses No. 2
WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall can't have No. 11, so he's going with No. 2.
The Washington Wizards' No. 1 overall draft pick announced Wednesday night on Twitter his choice of jersey for the start of his NBA career.
Wall made the simple post: "I picked to wear (number symbol)2 for nxt yr". He offered no immediate explanation, although the easy interpretation is that he added up the digits of the number he wore at the University of Kentucky.
The jersey number was the lone sore spot for Wall on draft night last week. He wanted to stick with No. 11 — it's even part of his Twitter name — but that number belonged to Hall of Fame forward Elvin Hayes and is retired in the Verizon Center rafters.
Ohio judge issues warrant for Cavs forward Hickson
CHARDON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio judge has issued a warrant for Cleveland Cavaliers forward J.J. Hickson after he failed to show up for two hearings about a speeding ticket.
Judge Mark Hassett issued a warrant on Monday after Hickson did not appear in Chardon Municipal Court for hearings on June 7 and June 14. A clerk says Hickson had not shown up in court by Wednesday, just minutes before the office closed.
Police cited Hickson on May 27 for allegedly driving 61 mph in a 25 mph zone in central Ohio.
Hickson's lawyer, Henry Hilow, said he was unaware of the warrant on Wednesday afternoon. He did not return a message seeking further comment.
Hickson faces another speeding charge in Rocky River Municipal Court from June 23. He's been convicted on four other speeding charges in Rocky River.
Bulls waive Richard, Kurz
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls have waived forwards Rob Kurz and Chris Richard.
Richard averaged 2.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18 games with Chicago last season. Kurz did not make an appearance with the Bulls after signing with them on April 9.
Elsewhere
Ex-NBA star pleads not guilty to Vegas casino debt
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker pleaded not guilty Wednesday to criminal bad check charges alleging he failed to repay almost $1 million in gambling debts and penalties to three Las Vegas casinos.
A Clark County District Court hearing master, Melisa De La Garza, set trial for Nov. 22 in Las Vegas. Walker and his lawyer, Jonathan Powell, said nothing to reporters after the brief arraignment.
Powell has said he and the Clark County district attorney's office were negotiating toward resolving the Nevada case without sending Walker to prison. Walker could face probation or up to 12 years behind bars if convicted.
Walker won a 2006 NBA championship with the Miami Heat, but hasn't played in the NBA since 2008. He played briefly in Puerto Rico during the 2009-10 season.
Walker filed last month for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, scuttling a promise he made last November to a Las Vegas justice of the peace to pay restitution to Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort, plus court fees and penalties to the district attorney's office.
That judge bound the case over for trial in state court.
The charges stem from $1 million in casino markers, or gambling loans, that Walker racked up between July 2008 and January 2009. Nevada law treats unpaid markers as bad checks that can be turned over to the district attorney for prosecution.
Walker, a Chicago native, was a three-time league All-Star with the Boston Celtics before going to Miami.
His bankruptcy filing reported $12.7 million in liabilities and $4.3 million in assets, including his championship ring.
-- Ken Ritter
